Station-indicator.



a SHEETS-SHEET 1f Patented May 24, 1910;

G. MESSING'.

STATION INDICATOR:

MYLIOATION FILED AUG. 21, 1909.

l I l I i l l i l I EH INVENTOH Cm'riopber flssz'ny ATTORNE rs I I iANDREW a GRAHAM co. Pnomumoangwms WASHINGTON. p. a

WITNESSES O. MESSING. STATION INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21

Patented May 24, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

nnoaew a GRAHAM c0. Pummqmwum; WASnINOTON. l7. 0

G. MESSING.

STATION INDICATOR.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 21,1909.

Patented May 24, 1910.

3 sums-sum 3.

' ATTORNE Y8 ANDREW n GRAHAM co. PummLvmnGiAPHERS. WASNINGTON. o1;

CHRISTOPHER MESSING, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

STATION-INDICATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented DIay 24:, 1910.

Application filed August 21, 1909. Serial No. 514,039.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHRISTOPHER MESSING, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in thecounty and State of New York, have invented a new and ImprovedStation-Indicator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to a new and improved device to be used in streetcars, railroad cars, subway trains and the like, to indicate the variousstations, stopping places or streets.

The object of this invention is to rovide an indicator which will besimple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, strong and durable,and easily operated.

A further object of this invention is to provide a station indicator,which may be used on any number of branch lines, with means for changingfrom one branch to another, such means including means for preventingthe operator from over-running the changing point when adjusting theindicator.

These and further objects, together with the construction andcombination of the parts, will be more fully described hereinafter andthen pointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar characters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a front view in elevation, showing part of the casing brokenaway to disclose the underlying mechanism; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectiontaken at right angles to the view shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 isan enlargedfragmentary section showing the escapement for the display cards; Fig. 4is an enlarged fragmentary horizontal section illustrating the operatingmagnets; and Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method ofconnecting up the magnets.

Referring more particularly to the several parts of the device, 1indicates the base, to

which is secured in an well known manner a framework 2. The ramework 2supports an outside casing 3, which may be made of any suitable form ormaterial. Within the casing 3 and supported in any suitable manner, asby means of upright brackets 4, there is provided a rotatable shaft 5,to which are secured heads 6. The heads 6 are spaced from each other andhave on their outer surfaces, adjacent to their peripheries, a plurality of pivot-pins 7, to which are pivotally secured a plurality ofhangers 8. These hangers 8 are adapted to removably support a pluralityof display-cards 9, on which there is placed a suitable inscription,such as the station or the street number and advertisements.

Adj ustably secured in the frame 2 and the casing 3 is an adjustableescapement screw 10, which is adapted to engage the cards 9 near theirouter edges and permit them to drop one by one into a position oppositea suitable opening 11 in front of the casing 3. In order to rotate theshaft 5 and thus displaythe cards 9 successively, a ratchet-wheel 12 isprovided, secured on the shaft 5. En gaging in the ratchet-wheel 12,near the under side thereof, is a pawl 13, which is secured on a beam14. The beam 14 is connected at each end to a pair of levers 15 and 16,which are rotatably supported on brackets l7 and 18 on the base 1.Secured to the lower ends of the levers 15 and 16 are floating magnets19, 20, 21 and 22, arranged in pairs. Opposite each pair of floatingmagnets is a plurality of stationary magnets 23, 24, 25 and 26, arrangedin pairs and so wound that they will offer to the floating magnets polesof opposite sign.

Fig. 5 illustrates one system of connecting up the floating andstationary magnets in series with a suitable source of current,indicated at 28, to a push-button 29. The source of current can eitherbe a separate battery or may be a shunt circuit from the main line. Thepush-button 29 is adapted to be operated by the guard or the motorman ofthe car.

The display-cards 9 may be of any number and for any number of branches.In order to change from one branch to another there is provided a spidergear-wheel 30,

which is secured on the shaft 5 in any well known manner and is adaptedto be operated by a pinion 31, which is secured to a shaft run through abearing on a lever 32 wheel 30. In order to limit the throw of the lever32 stops 37 and 38, in the form of rods extending up from the base 1 andan ran ed on each side of the pivot-point of the lever 32, are provided.\Vhen the pinion 31 is used to rotate the gear-wheel 30 to bring thecards 9 from one branch to another, it is desirable that the point ofchange from one branch to another shall not be overrun. For this purposethere is arranged on the gear-wheel 30 a plurality of gaps or spaces 39in the toothed periphery of the gear-wheel 30. Thus, when the pinion 31arrives at one of these gaps 39 it will cease to rotate the gearwheel30, preventing too many of the displaycards 9 being run past theescapement 10.

In order to normally hold the floating magnets away from the stationarymagnets and to return the pawl 13 after its stroke, there is provided aspring 40,.which is secured at one end to the beam 14 and at the otherend is adjustably connected to a bracket 41 on the base 1.

In order'to prevent the pawl 13 from ad vancing the ratchet-wheel morethan the desired amount to slip one display-card past the escapement 10,a locking pawl 42 is pro vided, which is secured to the lever 15 and soarranged that it will come in contact with one of a plurality of pins43, secured in any well-known manner on the side of the ratchet-wheel12. The ratchet-wheel 12 is prevented from back rotation by means of alocking-pawl 44, which is secured to a bracket 45 on the base 1. On thefront of the casing 3, located above the opening 11, there is provided aholder 46, in which is adapted to be. placed a card indicating the lineon which the train is traveling.

In the operation of the device, the button 29 is pushed :by the guard ormotorman when the train approaches a station. Instead of having thisoperation performed manually it may be performed automatically by a stopon the road, located adjacent to the tracks. IVhen a connection is madethrough the circuit the floating magnets will be drawn toward thestationary magnets, thereby shifting the beam 14 .against the tension ofthe spring 40. The pawl 13 will thus advance the ratchet-wheel 12 thedesired amount, which is limited by the locking pawl 42 coming intoengagement with the pins 43. hen pressure on the but-ton 29 is released,the spring 40 will automatically return the pawl 13 ready for anotheroperation. At the end of the forward throw of the pawl 13, the lowestcard 9 of the series will slip by the escapement screw 10 and displaythe inscription on the card opposite the opening 11.

\Vhen it is desired to use the train on a diiferent branch line from theone on which it is running, the operator changes the position of therotating member in relation to the opening 11, by bringing the pinion 31.into engagement with the gear-wheel 30 and thus making a drivingconnection, whereby the hand-crank 33 may be caused to rotate the shaft5 and thus advance the series of display cards to the changing point.IV-hen the first card of the branch line has reached the escapementscrew 10, the pinion 31 will come opposite one of the gaps or spaces 39in the wheel 30, thereby preventing the hand-crank 33 from rotating thegear-wheel 3O beyond this point. The lever 32 is pre vented fromallowing the pinion 31 coming in contact with-the gear-wheel 30 andacting as friction gear by means of the stop 38,

which limits the downward throw of the lever.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent:

1. In a station indicator, the combination of a rotatable member, aplurality of display-cards pivotally connected to said member, aratchet-wheel on said member, a plurality of pairs'of floating magnetsfor operating said r.atchetwheel, and-a plurality of pairs of stationarymagnets co-acting with said floating magnets.

2. Ina station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, of aplurality of display-cards secured to said member, electrical means forrotating said member, and manual means for rotating said member, saidmanual means being adapted to be automatically operatively disconnectedfrom said member at a predetermined point.

3. In a station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, of aplurality of display-cards secured to said member, electrical means forrotating said member, manual means for rotating said member, and meansfor normally holding said manual means out of operative connection withsaid member;

4. In a station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, :ofa plurality of display cards secured to said member, electrical meansfor rotating said member, manual means for rotating .said member, andmeans for forcing said manual means into operative connection with saidmember.

5. Ina station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, of aplurality of display cards secured to said member, electrical means forrotating said member, manual means for rotatinsaid member, said manualmeans being acfipted to be automatically operatively disconnected fromsaid member at a predetermined point, means for normally holding saidmanual means out of operative connection with said member, and means forforcing said manual means into operative connection with said member.

6. In a station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, of aplurality of display cards pivotally connected to said member, a ratchetwheel for rotating said member, a pawl for operating said ratchet wheel,a beam carrying said pawl, a plurality of floating magnets, meanscooperating with said magnets to produce a movement thereof and meansactuated by said magnets for operating said beam.

7. In a station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, of aplurality of display-cards pivotally connected to said member, aratchet-wheel for rotating said member, a pawl for operating saidratchetwheel, a beam carrying said pawl, a plurality of swinging leversfor operating said beam, floating magnets on said levers, and stationarymagnets co-acting with said floating magnets.

8. In a station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, of aplurality of display-cards pivotally connected to said member, aratchet-wheel for rotating said member, a pawl for operating saidratchet wheel, a beam carrying said pawl, a plurality of floatingmagnets, means cooperating with said magnets to produce a movementthereof, means actuated by said magnets for operating said beam in onedirection, and a spring for operating said beam in the oppositedirection.

9. In a station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, of aplurality of display-cards pivotally connected to said member, aratchet-wheel for rotating said member, a pawl for operating saidratchetwheel, a beam carrying said pawl, a plurality of floating magnets'for operating said beam, a gear-wheel having a blank space in itsperiphery connected to said member, a

pinion for rotating said gear-wheel, meansv for rotating said pinion,and means for bringing said pinion into engagement with said gear-wheel.

10. In a station indicator, the combination with a rotatable member, ofa plurality of display-cards pivotally connected to said member, aratchet-wheel for rotating said member, a pawl for operating saidratchetwheel, a beam carrying said pawl, a plurality of floating magnetsfor operating said beam, a gear-wheel connected to said member andhaving a plurality of blank spaces in its periphery, a pinion forrotating said gear wheel, means for rotating said pinion, a lever forbringing said pinion into engagement with said gear-wheel, a spring fordrawing said pinion out of engagement with said gear-wheel, and stopsfor limiting the throw of said lever.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHRISTOPHER MESSING.

Witnesses:

JOHN J. MOAULIFFE, HENRY KRUCK.

